


It's Overrated

by kokokonose



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: ? maybe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Ultimate Talents (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shuuichi just wants to be wanted, Slow Burn, That's right it's just a plain old high school AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-14 16:31:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15392838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kokokonose/pseuds/kokokonose
Summary: Shuuichi was prepared to live out the remaining two years of high school in relative peace, aside from the occasional wish for the popular crowd to stop using him to relay messages to his friends. Never in a hundred years would he have expected that same crowd to extend an offer for him to become even more involved.Shuuichi's curiosity and desire to feel wanted take hold of him just for a second, and pieces of an entirely different life start to fall into place.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been watching those classic high school dramas lately, and I couldn't get the idea out of my head, so here we go! 
> 
> Everything's gonna be Americanized and as dramatic as I dare make it, and the characters didn't really fit into those stereotypical groups, so I used canon for help with that lol hopefully it's not too far-fetched?

Shuuichi supposed there were stranger places to be than in a packed school hallway at ten on a Monday morning. What he _wasn’t_ quite as used to seeing was Tenko glaring at him like he’d cheated her out of her money.

“Can I… help you?”

She stared at him until he began to fidget under her gaze. Before he could decide whether or not to try asking again, he found his arm encircled with a vice grip and felt himself being pulled down the hall.

“Wait, Tenko, my next class starts in a few—”

“Listen up, Shuuichi! You may be a degenerate male, but Angie says she needs to talk to you.” Ahead of them, people scrambled out of their path—whether out of fear or awe for Tenko, Shuuichi didn’t know. 

Although she kept her gaze straight ahead, she lowered her voice for only Shuuichi to hear. “She can be kinda scary, but when she’s happy, Himiko’s happy too. So you better not screw this up, got it?”

With those words, she dragged Shuuichi into an art room, empty save for three other people, and shut the door behind them, planting herself in front of hit with her arms crossed.

Rubbing his arm, Shuuichi straightened up and saw Kiibo sitting at a table, waving to him.Shuuichi smiled at the other boy, glad to have a comforting presence in the room with him. They had met each other when Kiibo had transferred in two years ago and had been utterly overwhelmed by the sea of students in the morning rush. Shuuichi, upon seeing an unfamiliar face hovering in the crowd, had taken him to the doorway of a classroom that kids weren’t streaming into and pointed him into the direction of a less crowded side hallway. Since then, Kiibo seemed to hold a certain fondness for Shuuichi and never failed to stop and catch up with him.

Truth be told, his friendship with Kiibo was most likely the only reason as many people knew about Shuuichi as they did, and those people happened to include Tenko, Himiko, and Angie. People as powerful as high school students could be. 

“Hello, Shuuichi! I see you got Atua’s message!” Shuuichi looked away from Kiibo in time to see Angie come towards him. She took both of his hands and led him farther into the room, amidst the collection of easels.

“Atua’s…? Angie, did you want to tell me something?” 

She smiled and hummed. “Welllll, you want this school to be a happy place, right, Shuuichi?”

“Ah…” Shuuichi blinked. _Looks like she’s getting straight to the point_. “I guess I do.”

“Nyahaha! Of course you do!” She leaned in, and despite her small stature, Shuuichi felt as though she were looming over him and fought the urge to take a step back. “So it’s veeeery important that you know when there’s trouble.”

This time, Shuuichi really did take a step back. She’d talked to him about this topic before, but she’d never done much more than ask him to keep an eye on a few people, never anything with kind of build-up. 

“So!” Angie withdrew and clasped her hands together. “Atua says some of Shuuichi’s friends are up to no good, you know? They’re a bad influence!”

Indignation swelled in Shuuichi’s chest. “Angie, my friends aren’t—They haven’t even done anything!”

“Oh Shuuichi, you’ve misunderstood! Kaede and Rantarou are perfectly fine, contributing to everyone’s happiness!” She tapped his nose and laughed when he flinched. “It’s people like Maki and Kaito we should all be worried about… But Atua says he can help us with that!”

Shuuichi opened his mouth, but before he could say anything he would most definitely later regret, a stirring at a table in the corner of the room made the words die in his throat. 

Himiko rose her head from where it had rested on her arms. Shuuichi didn’t doubt that she had been napping and missed everything that had been said. Rubbing her eyes, she said, “Oh, Shuuichi’s here… Where’re Gonta and Tsumugi?”

“Don’t worry, Himiko!” As expected, Tenko leapt to respond. “They couldn’t make it today, so your timing’s perfect!”

“Nyeeeh, whatever…” Without waiting for a follow-up, Himiko pointed at Shuuichi. “We’re telling you to hang out with us, Shuuichi. It’s an offer you can’t turn down, y’know. "

“That’s right!” The attention was diverted back to Angie. “How divine it would be for you to join us! You would really make the school a better place.”

Shuuichi floundered, trying to formulate a response, but the words weren’t coming to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kiibo smiling at him expectantly and Tenko waiting to throw him if he dare challenge Himiko—but was that a look of pity on her face?

Pinned by the four stares, he tugged at the brim of his hat. “I-I’ll think about it! It’s… just a lot to—It’s a big change.” He winced at his stutter. On one hand, accepting their offer would grant him some semblance of social stability. On the other hand, Kaito and Maki were two of the best friends he’d ever had, and he was nowhere near prepared to give them up anytime soon.

“Nyahaha, don’t worry, Shuuichi! Take your time!” Despite the reassuring words, Shuuichi couldn’t help the shiver that ran through him. Angie just smiled and waved as he scrambled to gather himself and pull Kiibo out of the room to their next class.

 

* * *

  

They ended up being late for their math class, but their spotless records allowed them to slip into their seats with no more than a pointed look from their teacher.

Shuuichi was somehow able to get through the entire explanation of derivatives without the incident weighing on his mind and would have forgotten about it entirely until Kiibo approached him after class. Reality came crashing back.

“Shuuichi…” Kiibo looked like he didn’t know where to begin. “We would really like to have you with us, but I don’t want to pressure you. So… just think about it, okay?” 

Shuuichi’s heart ached at the thought of turning the other boy down, but he pushed the feeling away. He gave the most reassuring smile he could, hoping it wasn’t too wobbly. “It’s okay, Kiibo. I’ll make my decision, then let you know, and…” Shuuichi’s brain froze. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he was this awkward around Kiibo. He shook his head. “A-ah, yeah. Listen, I have to get to class, but I’ll catch up with you later?”

Shuuichi all but fled the scene, hoping Kiibo wouldn’t be too disappointed in him.

 

* * *

 

“Maki?” The girl in question turned around as Shuuichi approached their usual waiting spot in the courtyard. “Oh—Kaito’s not with you?”

“The idiot forgot everything except for his astronomy textbook.” Her answer was casual enough, but her stare bored into Shuuichi, and he shuddered under her scrutiny. “And you look like you’re about to faint.”

“H-huh? I don’t think it’s that bad…” But seeing as they were drifting toward the subject, he figured now was as good of a time as any to bring up Angie’s proposition. Maki usually offered more pragmatic advice than Kaito did unless she was in one of her moods, and frankly, he was scared of what she might do if she found out at a bad time. “But, ah, something did happen with Angie and her friends today.”

Maki narrowed her eyes but didn’t interrupt. Shuuichi took it as a tentative sign to continue. “They said something about me joining them. But… that would mean leaving you and Kaito.”

“…Do you want to die?”

Shuuichi flinched. “I-I’m sorry!”

“I’m just kidding. Of course she did.” To his surprise, there was no anger or betrayal in her face. Rather, he thought he could hear something akin to acceptance in her voice. “I’m more surprised she took this long to ask.”

“What do you mean?”

Maki tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “You might not have a large reputation, but you’re more influential than you think.” Then, with all the bluntness of a baseball bat to the skull, “and you’re a huge pushover." 

_Was that last part really necessary?_ Shuuichi ignored the barb in favor of focusing on the first half of Maki’s claim. “But people only know me because of Kiibo. Couldn’t she have asked either Kaede or Rantarou too?”

Maki quirked an eyebrow. “You’re really the only one who can find out.” 

Before Shuuichi could dwell upon the implications of that statement, she cut him off. “I don’t care what you do as long as you can justify it to yourself.”

Shuuichi felt like he’d just received a blessing. Before he could say anything in response, he was cut off by a yell from the school doors.

“Maki Roll! And, oh, Shuuichi’s here too!” Kaito’s voice was laced with audible agitation, and one look at him confirmed Shuuichi’s suspicions. “Perfect timing, Shuuichi, I’ve got a little case for you.”

Shuuichi exchanged a wary glance with Maki, then headed to where Kaito was pacing at the entranceway. “What happened?”

“I was getting my stuff, but the little fucker popped out of a garbage bin and stole a couple books! I could’a chased him down no sweat, but he disappeared, so I thought I’d enlist the help of my sidekicks.” He slung an arm around Shuuichi’s shoulders and was about to do the same to Maki before he was stopped with a glare.

Shuuichi bit down the urge to point out that Kaito’s account felt more like a rant than an information source. “Wait, ’the little fucker’? So you know who took your stuff?”

“Well, yeah, I wouldn’t be Kaito Momota if I—” 

“He’s in our literature class,” Maki interrupted. “Kokichi Ouma.” Maki’s gaze had turned darker, as if she were working herself up at the thought of her classmate.

It sounded like neither Kaito nor Maki was a fan of this boy. Shuuichi’s imagination ran wild at the potential terror he might be, but he caught and berated himself for making judgements based on secondhand information. He had never been one for gossip, and he wasn’t about to start now. But he did suppose it was nice to have some prior knowledge. “What does Kokichi look like?”

“Oh y’know,” Kaito said with a wave of his hand. “Short, purple hair, looks like he could ruin your life and laugh while doing it.”

“I-is that really the best way to describe him?” Regardless, Shuuichi guessed that Kokichi was supposed to be the kind of person recognizable at first glance. He just hoped Kaito’s obvious bias wouldn’t lead to an awkward misunderstanding with someone else.

To his surprise, Maki was the first one to make her way in. “The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we’ll be free from these idiots’ shit.”

Maki did have a point, in more ways than one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The general "plot" is actually based on the last part of this tumblr post (http://ryouverua.tumblr.com/post/169985177888/angies-hugs-are-dangerous-okay-but-actually)! The idea of Shuuichi potentially being swayed by Angie is so real, and thank god for Kaito because Shuuichi has way more than enough insecurities that Angie could appeal to
> 
> Next chapter will feature Ouma and probably a very frazzled Shuuichi!! Get pumped!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was surprisingly a lot of fun to write actually?? I had to cut it sooner than I planned because the scenes ran too long and it's really more fluff than plot, but I'd just like you to know I shoved a Very Important Headcanon of mine in there. Transformation scenes are so fun to write...
> 
> Also I changed the rating from T to M because of the typical high school movie stuff and also Miu will show up

It had been Shuuichi’s idea to split up to cover more ground while they searched, but as he wandered the halls, searching for someone he didn’t even know, he began to regret that decision.

He tried to make it seem like he wasn’t staring at the few people remaining at school, tugging the brim of his hat lower over his face, but several times he was forced wave at familiar faces that he had made eye contact with.  

Shuuichi walked down the lengths of two halls with no luck finding Kokichi before stopping to think. He had seen some people with purple hair, but none of them were what he’d consider short, and he wasn’t really sure what someone who “could ruin your life and laugh while doing it” looked like. But given what he’d heard about Kokichi’s tendency to toy with people, he couldn’t imagine a more infuriating place to be than at the scene of the metaphorical crime. With that hunch in mind, Shuuichi abandoned his hallway search and headed to Kaito’s locker.

Despite his reasoning, Shuuichi was still surprised to see someone actually hanging around in front of the locker. He couldn’t see the boy’s face, but what he could see matched Kaito’s description well enough for Shuuichi to approach him. His heart was pounding as it always did when he talked to people he wasn’t good friends with.

“Ah, excuse me, would you happen to be Kokichi Ouma?” Shuuichi resisted to pull his hat farther down as the boy turned around.

His lips were curved in a wide grin. “Nope, can’t say I’ve ever heard of him before! Geez, you must not know about anyone at this school!”

Shuuichi flinched. Of course he’d gotten it wrong, he’d gone ahead and made an assumption that didn’t even make sense and here he was, accusing a stranger he’d called by the wrong name of theft, and—

“But that’s a lie!” The boy’s words snapped Shuuichi out of his thoughts. “Isn’t it obvious? I _am_ a liar, after all.”

Shuuichi was left reeling. “I’ve never even met you before! How should I know?!”

The words were out of his mouth before he could filter them. Alarm bells went off in his head, and his heart dropped as he saw Kokichi’s face begin to screw up. _Oh no, oh no no no_ —

“I’m sorry!” Shuuichi yelped, but it was too late. Kokichi’s wails began to echo around the hall.

“Waaaaaah, you’re so mean, you didn’t even—”

In his panic, Shuuichi’s body moved before his brain could catch up to the situation. He clapped a hand over Kokichi’s mouth to muffle the screams.

The method worked more efficiently than Shuuichi ever could have imagined; Kokichi stopped crying entirely, as if he’d never started. 

The two of them stood in the middle of the hall, stared at each other. Shuuichi could feel the other boy’s breath warm against his hand.

He snatched his hand back as if he’d been burned. 

Kokichi snickered. “Awww, and I was just getting ready to lick you too!”

Shuuichi thought back to the slackness of Kokichi’s jaw against his hand. “No you weren’t.”

“Nishishi, you caught me! I wouldn’t wanna lick your grubby hand anyway; I’d probably get sick and die!”

Why did Shuuichi ever think this was a good idea? He was tempted to leave without another word, but the guilt of leaving without even trying to get Kaito’s books back persuaded him to stay rooted in place.

He got straight to the point. “Could you… please give Kaito’s stuff back?”

“Whoa! We’ve only just met and you’re already accusing me of a crime?” Any effect that the hurt in Kokichi’s voice had was lost when paired with the smile on his face. “I’m a victim of mistaken identity here!”

“No, Kaito was sure it was you. And besides…” Shuuichi couldn’t help a little smile. “You do seem like you’d know how to push people’s buttons. That’s why you’re here, right?”

Kokichi’s expression dropped into a blank stare tinged with… was that annoyance? “Don’t you think it’s super lame just to be used as a search party for that idiot?

Why the sudden change in subject? Shuuichi was becoming less and less convinced that this entire encounter wasn’t some fever dream. “Kaito’s my friend—”

“So you’d do anything for him, huh?” Kokichi’s interruption had the tone of a question but the certainty of a statement. Before Shuuichi could reply (whether to agree or to counter, he wasn’t sure), Kokichi’s grin was back on his face. “Asking for your soul is waaaaay too cliche, so how about your body?”

Heat blossomed across Shuuichi’s face. 

“Wow, looks like someone’s got their mind in the gutter!” Kokichi’s words made Shuuichi start to sputter.

“H-huh?! No, I just—!” Realizing that Kokichi was probably just toying with him, Shuuichi cut himself off and sucked in a deep breath. “I’d just really like to get Kaito’s books back for him.”

“Ugh, this is so boring.” Kokichi’s smile dropped again. “Whatever, take the stuff. But you totally owe me a favor now, my beloved Shuuichi!”

With that, he pulled out Kaito’s books (where in the world had he been hiding them?) and held them out. As a flustered Shuuichi reached for them, the other boy dumped them into his arms and smacked the brim of his hat down, obscuring his vision. When Shuuichi looked up after fumbling with the books, Kokichi was gone.

It wasn’t until Shuuichi was laying in bed that night that he realized he’d never told Kokichi his name.

 

* * *

 

“You met someone called Kokichi Ouma?” Kaede furrowed her eyebrows. “I’ve never seen him around before.”

“I hadn’t either until yesterday.” Shuuichi shifted so the locker hinges weren’t digging into his back. Kaede had practically caged him in when he brought up yesterday’s encounter with Kokichi during their morning chat, and Rantarou had pulled himself close to avoid blocking the hall as much as possible.

Kaede turned to the other boy next to her. “How about you, Rantarou? Have you heard of him?”

“Yeah, actually, he’s a childhood friend.” Rantarou scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Sorry I never introduced you. He’s keeps a low profile outside of class for some reason, and I didn’t want to ruin it for him.”

Kaede waved away the apology. “I don’t mind that you didn’t tell us, but I’m just wondering how we’ve never seen him before. Based on what Shuuichi’s told us, it’s not like he’s shy, right?”

“I wouldn’t say he’s shy, but he’s got his own agenda.” Rantarou sounded like he was about to continue, but he broke off in favor of waving to someone approaching them.

Kaede turned around to see who Rantarou was looking at. “Oh, good morning Tsumugi!”

“Good morning,” Tsumugi greeted. Her eyes flitted over the group before focusing on Shuuichi where he was half-hidden by his friends. “Shuuichi, are you free after school today?”

“Ah, yeah, I’ll just need to tell Maki and Kaito I’m not heading home with them.”

Tsumugi pursed her lips but soon returned to her original smile. “Meet us in room 108, okay?”

“Wait, ‘us’?” But Tsumugi had already blended back into the crowd of students heading to class 

Kaede patted Shuuichi on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Shuuichi, I’m sure everything’ll be fine. Tsumugi’s really nice and mostly sane!”

Shuuichi looked to Rantarou for help, but all the other boy could offer was a shrug.

 

* * *

 

Shuuichi was feeling rather apprehensive about the meeting with Tsumugi. When he had told Kaito and Maki that he wouldn’t be going home with them today and could find a ride for himself, Kaito had clapped Shuuichi on the back, praising him for finally branching out, and Maki had given him a non-judgemental (for her, anyway) look. So why did his chest feel so tight?

He pushed the classroom door open and found Tsumugi, Gonta, and Kiibo waiting inside.

“Shuuichi!” Gonta’s voice rang out, and before Shuuichi knew it, he was being lifted off his feet in an all-encompassing hug. “Gonta’s so glad you can join us!”

Despite the fact that Shuuichi was being crushed, he couldn’t help but smile at the football player’s enthusiasm. Gonta had built himself a sweet, if shy, reputation and had offered to carry Shuuichi’s things for him on occasion. Even so, he was grateful when Kiibo reminded Gonta that Shuuichi probably had a weaker rib cage than Gonta thought.

“Shuuichi, not everyone’s here yet, but we can get started on the boring part.” Shuuichi turned to see Tsumugi wielding a roll of measuring tape and fabric swatches spread across several desks. She reached into her bag and handed him a shirt and pants. “I’m going to have you change into this so I can take some measurements, but it’ll be quick, okay? 

“That’s fine, but what’s this for?” Shuuichi knew that Tsumugi was an avid seamstress, but he’d been under the impression that she made outfits just for herself. 

“It’s so I can get the most accurate measurements possible since the clothes you’re wearing right now—”

“Oh, um, I meant this whole…” Shuuichi grasped for the right word. “…set-up.”

“Oh, that? Think of it as a welcome gift! I’m perfectly happy to be so plain, but that doesn’t mean you have to be.”

Shuuichi looked down at his white button-up shirt and rolled-up dark slacks. “What’s wrong with this?”

“Atua says Shuuichi should look more special!” Angie sailed through the door with Tenko supporting a tired Himiko close behind.

Himiko pouted. “Just hurry up, Shuuichi, we’re all waiting on you.”

Biting back the urge to point out that _they_ weren’t really doing anything, Shuuichi looked down at the clothes in his hands, wondering if he should find a bathroom to change in.

Right on cue, Kiibo sprung up from his seat. “Gonta and I can block you, so you can… change in that corner over there.” 

Shuuichi trusted at least Gonta to be able to block him from sight, and he didn’t really feel like tracking down a bathroom, so the three boys headed over to the corner. He could hear the girls murmuring about the fabrics as he changed, but he was soon distracted by the clothes he put on. 

“Ah, Tsumugi? A-are these supposed to be this tight?”

Tsumugi glanced over at him as Kiibo and Gonta stepped out of the way, and Shuuichi had to resist the urge to hide himself in some way. He knew that the black shirt and pants were meant to be tight enough for Tsumugi to get accurate measurements, but that knowledge didn’t stop him from feeling like everyone could see everything if they tried hard enough.

“Yes, that’s perfect! Come back over here.”

Tsumugi motioned for Shuuichi to lift his arms out of the way and wrapped the tape around his chest. As she did so, Himiko and Tenko brought over several fabric samples.

“Aren’t these nice, Shuuichi?” Himiko held them out for Shuuichi to see. “Which ones do you like?”

Shuuichi shook his head. “Sorry, I’m not really that well-versed in fabrics, so I wouldn’t know. They all look good, though.” 

Tenko hummed. “How about some soft fabrics for a soft boy?”

“Gonta thinks suits look good…”

“Shuuichi needs bright colors!”

“Angie, have you seen his complexion? It’d swallow him up!”

Shuuichi stood there awkwardly, shifting occasionally to let Tsumugi take measurements. He appreciated the amount of thought they were putting into this, he really did, but he couldn’t help but feel as though he were waiting to receive judgement.

Kiibo spoke up for the first time in the conversation, breaking through the babble. “I think he would look good in lace.”

Everyone went silent. The measuring tape around Shuuichi’s shoulders went slack.

Kiibo seemed to realize what he had said a second too late. His eyes went impossibly wide, and as he began to stammer out clarifications, his arms flailed around in a panic. Shuuichi didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone blush so deeply in his entire life, and that was saying something. “Th-that’s not what I meant!” 

Stifling her giggles, Tsumugi went back to work. “He does have a point, though. Lace does suit your image, Shuuichi.”

“Yep, yep! Not too much, but enough to bring out your assets, you know?” Angie had made her way over to Tsumugi and Shuuichi and was comparing lace samples against the back of Shuuichi’s neck. “Tenko, what do you think?”

“H-huh?” Tenko appeared to be caught off-guard, but she joined Angie. “Um, the dark ones look good. And something delicate to match his strength!”

Himiko groaned, but Angie broke into a dazzling smile; Shuuichi could almost feel waves of light and warmth radiating from her. “Atua was telling me the same thing! Well done, Tenko!”

“Ah… I’ll trust your judgement, then.” Shuuichi felt the measuring tape fall away, but before he could ask how many were left, Tsumugi squinted down at her notes.

“Sorry Shuuichi, I think I might have written something down wrong. Can I check?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” He felt the tape wrap around his hips and waited for her to read the measurement. When she didn’t make a move to get up, he tried to read her expression without disrupting her work. “Tsumugi?”

She shook her head and sprang up. “Nope, nothing was wrong!” She gave him a sympathetic smile. “I guess that’s why you have to roll up your pants, huh? But don’t worry, Shuuichi, I won’t let you down like that!”

Heat rose to Shuuichi’s face once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written basically for the purpose of letting Shuuichi be fashionable for once, but if there's anything I want you to take away from this, it's that Shuuichi has nice hips ajsklfjsd


End file.
